Mulder and Scully look for a Yeti
by Scully Skeptic
Summary: A fun adventure in the woods soon turns into a nasty affair for the agents as they meet with their sworn enemy and are faced with dangers of the supernatural kind. Ps. This isn't a crossover, the picture is strictly for fun.
1. Part 1, chapter 1

**A/N Ok, it's silly little story about Mulder and Scully going deep into the woods to find a yeti. Will they find it? And who is that tall figure who is lurking behind the trees? **

**Takes place after Tunguska and Terma but before Leonard Betts. **

**Disclaimer: the X-files and all the characters belong to Chris Carter. **

**Please review! Also English is not my first language, so if you see a mistake don't hesitate to tell me about it. **

**A big thanks to my brother who pitched the idea to me :) **

* * *

1.

Mulder got out of the car, stretched his long arms out and took a lungful of fresh air. The weather was perfect: not too cold but chilly enough for the air to feel like vaporized crystal. The skies were clear and the morning sun was playing hide-and-go- seek between the green tree leafs. What a perfect day to be out in the wild! This past month has been a little slow on new cases and most of the time Mulder found himself parked behind his desk staring at his hands. It's time he got a little exercise. He just wished Scully was just as excited about this little camping trip as he was.

"For the last time, Mulder, why are we here?"

Scully looked adorable, by the way. She had her hair in a ponytail and she was wearing tight jeans which was a nice change after all those pantsuits and skirts. Well, Mulder never really complained about the skirts…

"I told you, Scully, we're camping. We have been stuck in that damp basement long enough. I worry that we may have inhaled too much of those fungus spores over the years."

While Mulder was talking, Scully opened the trunk of the car and looked over the camping gear Mulder had brought with him. Aside from the standard package, such as tent, sleeping bags, food, two thermoses with hot tea, a first aid kit etc., Scully found binoculars, night vision goggles, a camera with three rolls of film, and some dog food.

"No, Mulder, what are we _really_ doing here?"

"Ok, here's the deal. I got a very serious tip about a yeti encounter in this area."

"How serious? Do you know the name of your source?"

"No, but I have worked with him before - or her, I don't know if it's a man or a woman. Anyway, I have a feeling we're going to find something this time. Please, Scully, don't say no!"

How many times had Scully promised herself that this was going to be the last time she allowed Mulder to drag her out on some crazy, non-work related ghost hunt? And yet she broke that promise every time. She liked to tell herself that it was because of her concern for Mulder. He could get himself in trouble and if something would happen to him… No, Scully couldn't picture her life without Mulder. But perhaps there was another reason, one that she couldn't fathom. One that was hidden so well in her subconscious mind, that it would take an army of Freuds to yank it out.

"Alright, I'll go with you. But on one condition! You will write every single case report for the end of this year."

"Done and done!"

"So where do we start?"

"Well, first we have to get away from the road and into the woods- I have a map and over there is our first landmark."

He pointed at a stop sign some ten feet behind.

"Alright, Scully, let's go find ourselves a yeti!"

* * *

I'm about to finish Chapter 2. Spoiler alert! They bump into an old friend.


	2. Part 1, chapter 2

**A/N This is where Mulder and Sully run in some trouble. Mulder acts a little out of character, but hey, boys will be boys!**

**Takes place after Tunguska and Terma but before Leonard Betts. **

**Disclaimer: the X-files and all the characters belong to Chris Carter. **

**Please review! Also English is not my first language, so if you see a mistake don't hesitate to tell me about it. **

**A big thanks to my brother who pitched the idea to me :) **

* * *

2.

Mulder and Scully were walking down a footpath. Many feet have trampled the grass here, making the path very clear and visible.

"How many people have hiked here before us, Mulder? This forest doesn't look like it's been cut off from civilization very much."

"I don't know the exact number, but during the summertime some enthusiasts like to hike here."

"Are they looking for yetis also? Cuz summer doesn't sound like the right time to look for the snowman. "

"Are you saying there _is_ a good time to go looking for a snowman? So you must think that they exist after all."

"I did not say that, Mulder. I was just being sarcastic."

Hours passed as the two FBI-agents were getting deeper and deeper into the forest. The clearly visible footpath became less clear and less visible after about two hours. But Mulder did not loose his enthusiasm. Every now and then he would stop in his tracks and check their surroundings. He would then check the map and make some notes with his little yellow pencil.

"I don't understand it, Scully." – He said after about two and a half hours of walking. - "According to this map we are in the right place. But I can't find the landmark that should be here."

"What is the landmark?"

"A hunting cabin."

"Let me look at that map,"

Scully took the map and studied it. Unlike Mulder, Dana Scully did not position herself as an expert map reader or an experienced woodsman, but the little knowledge she had about camping and hiking was enough to determine this:

"Mulder, we're on the wrong path."

"Are we lost?"

"No, we're not lost yet. See, this is where we are supposed to be," – Scully pointed on the little house that was drawn on the map, and then at a path that must have been about three miles away to the East. – "And this is where we are right now."

"Oh, crap! Now we have to start over."

"Mulder, we've been walking for hours. I suggest we take a little break and clear our thoughts. Then we'll try to get to that hunting cabin."

This is why he brought Scully with him today. Not only was a she medical doctor and could help him if he got hurt, but she was also Mulder's voice of reason. In times when the world would crumble under his feet, it was Scully who reached out a strong hand he could hold on to.

They found a friendly looking clearing and set up camp there. While Mulder kept himself busy studying the map and figuring out ways to get to the cabin, Scully fixed lunch. Tea, sandwiches, a couple of candy bars and big plastic bag with sunflower seeds.

It was about noon when they finished eating. The sun was in the zenith and the agents lay in the green grass, pointing their happy faces up to the sky. Their eyes were closed. Serenity was what Scully felt. Maybe this wasn't a bad idea after all. And they _have_ been spending too much time in the office.

She felt drowsy. The sun rays and the gentle wind were caressing her face, while wild birds were singing her to sleep. She shouldn't be sleeping on the ground. She could get a cold or worse – her kidneys could get cold. And that is something you don't joke about.

"Hey, look berries!" – Mulder's voice brought her back to reality.

Scully sat up and looked at Mulder who was gathering wild berries from one of the bushes that were surrounding the clearing.

"Don't eat them Mulder, they're most likely poisonous!"

But it was too late. Mulder threw a handful of dark suspicious looking berries in his mouth and was chewing them loudly.

"Mulder, as a doctor I order you to spit these berries out!"

Scully came up to him; concern written all over her face. But Mulder already swallowed the berries and smiled at Scully.

"How do they taste, Mulder?"

"They taste like… burning!"

Mulder let out a painful moan. He was now kneeling on the grass literally bent in half. Scully took a water bottle and handed it to her partner.

"Mulder, drink this! You have to get those berries out before the poison enters you system."

This was dangerous. Scully did not know what kind of poison they were dealing with and she didn't have the right equipment to treat Mulder with. She had to get Mulder to the hospital but their car was several miles away.

Meanwhile Mulder took the water bottle, downed it and hurried to the nearest bush. Scully turned away to give him a little privacy in this agonizing moment.

She was standing in the middle of the clearing and waiting for Mulder to finish purging. She tried not to think about the worst. On the upside the symptoms showed themselves immediately and Mulder was now getting most of the contents out of his body.

"Mulder, how are you holding up? Do you need my help?"

"No- I'm almost done now…" – he said in a weak voice.

That was when Scully heard a strange noise. It sounded like a big animal was lurking behind the trees. How big an animal? Were there bears around here? Snakes? Scully pulled her gun out of the holster, just in case. Everything was silent for about thirty seconds and then – BAM! – a tree branch broke somewhere near them with a loud crunching sound.

"Mulder, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I heard it."

Mulder was now lying on his back. His face was very pale and he looked exhausted. Scully put her gun away for now and kneeled beside him.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel like I drank some of that green alien bounty hunter blood."

"Mulder, we are going to get you through this. The best thing right now would be to take you to the hospital, but I'm afraid you're too weak to walk all the way back to the car. So you will have to rest for the remainder of the day and drink a lot of fluids. And no eating until I say it's ok."

"Where are we gonna get the fluids, Scully? We're down to one thermos of tea and only four water bottles. And you need to drink too."

"I can try to find a creek or something. But I can't leave you here alone. Some animal is lurking in the woods."

"Do you think it's a yeti?"

"No, I don't think it's a yeti. It's a wild animal."

"But how can you be sure if you haven't seen it for yourself?"

Even in this condition Mulder was testing her. But Scully was in no mood for their little quarrels.

"Mulder, get some rest. I'll go and…"

"Don't go! What if it's a bear? You can't go alone."

"We need to fill up on our water sup -"

A low growl. Somewhere very near. A bear, a wolf, or a killer on the run – whatever it was it was hiding right behind the surrounding trees. Scully drew her gun once again. Mulder got up to his feet and pulled out his gun.

"Who is this? Show yourself!" – Mulder's voice was hoarse but commanding. – "We're federal agents and we're armed!"

"Did you see this?" – Scully pointed her gun to the bare spot between the trees where a moment ago a patch of yellow fur could be seen.

"It must be the yeti." – whispered Mulder. – "We must get it alive."

But Scully would not hear any of this. If this was a man, he understood them. She took two steps towards the two trees where this - thing was hiding and said:

"Come out right now, or I will shoot!" - Her voice was ice cold and dead-serious.

For a long moment nothing happened. Scully could hear the creature behind the trees and could almost taste the adrenaline on her tongue. Her muscles were tense as she was pointing the gun in front of her. Behind her Scully heard careful footsteps of Mulder who was backing her up. The sour smell of what once was Mulder's food was stinging her nostrils along with something that she could only identify as animal scent. The silence was almost unbearable.

And then it happened. Scully didn't even know what was happening. She heard a loud growl as a tall figure with bright yellow fur jumped out from behind the trees. Scully fired her gun, just as the creature grabbed her hands and pushed her gun upwards, sending the bullet into the air. The next thing she knew she was laying on the ground staring at a hideous ape-like face that was hovering above her.

"Get off of her!" – Mulder was pointing his gun to the creature's head. – "Now!"

Slowly the creature pulled itself up. To Mulder's great surprise the creature's movements were very humanlike. In fact, it was human! He saw now that the fur was a costume and the hideous face was nothing but a bad Halloween mask.

Mulder could hear this man's hysterical laughing from underneath that mask as he helped a very confused Scully up on her feet. Her confusion didn't last long though and she yanked the mask off of the man's head. What they saw made them both yell out:

"Krycek?!"

* * *

Chapter 3 is in the works...


	3. Part 1, chapter 3

**A/N It's finally here! – the third chapter in my little corny story. This one is less corny and a little darker though. Warning for some strong words and a little violence.**

**It seems like Krycek really means well this time. Does he? What exactly ****_is_**** going on in these woods? And Scully is starting to question Mulder's feelings for her. **

**Takes place after Tunguska and Terma but before Leonard Betts. **

**Disclaimer: the X-files and all the characters belong to Chris Carter. **

**Please review! Also English is not my first language, so if you see a mistake don't hesitate to tell me about it. **

**A big thanks to my brother who pitched the idea to me :) **

* * *

3.

Steven Louis rose with the sun, ate a quick breakfast and went to the woods taking Long John – his golden retriever with him. The morning air was clear and Steven saw a long way ahead of him. With him Steven had a back pack with some food and water and a shotgun. The gun was not for hunting but for self-protection.

At six thirty Steven came to a steep slope. A precipice. The ground under his feet ended abruptly like it was sliced off with a gigantic knife. Steven opened his back pack and took a small brown envelope out, which he pinned to one of the nearby trees. He then started making his way down the steep slope. Long John was walking a few feet ahead of his master and was sniffing the ground as if looking for prey.

Steven and Long John were almost at the foot of the slope when the dog suddenly froze, turned around and went running up the slope yelping like a little puppy.

"Long john, come back! It's OK, boy!", his master called for him but the dog wouldn't listen. Steven continued his walk alone, disappointed that his best friend has let him down like that. The man ventured deeper and deeper into the woods. It was a strange place indeed, for this particular part of the woods was dominated by pine trees instead of leaf-bearing trees like the rest of the woods. He was taking careful steps, making as little noise as possible. His shotgun was pointed right in front of him now.

When he heard a faint rustling behind some pine trees to his left he pointed his shotgun in that direction and said very calmly, "I came here just like you asked. I've kept my part of the deal."

He saw some movement behind the trees and then a dark female voice said, "Alright, I'm coming out now. Don't shoot." Steven said "OK" but kept his weapon up. A tall slender figure came cautiously out from behind the trees. This was a woman in her late twenties with long blond hair. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a grey leather jacket. She regarded Steven with a cold look of her deep blue eyes. There was something about that look that made him shiver but Steven remained his calm.

"Show me what I came here for, Angelica."

"They will be here soon and you'll see them. But you didn't keep your promise, Steven. You brought somebody with you."

"Just my dog, but he chickened out."

"No, not your dog. A man. He knows where you went, doesn't he? We trusted you, Steven."

The tone of her voice – dark and menacing – made the big man cold inside. She took two steps towards him. He was ready to shoot at this unarmed woman – that's how frightened he was – but felt unable to move his finger that was on the trigger. Instead he saw his own hands let go of the shotgun. He had no control of his own fingers that were now unclenching the weapon and letting it fall on the ground with a soft thud. And then Angelica stepped over it, taking two final steps towards the stunned man.

"I'm sorry it had to go down like that, Steven.", she said and put her hands on his face. They were scorching hot and he screamed as they burned through his skin. He felt as if his brain was boiling and saw Angelica's face through a white mist that looked like hot steam. He let out a final cry of agony before his mind dissolved it the white fog.

* * *

Scully took the monkey mask off of the laughing man's head and both her and Mulder exclaimed

"Krycek?!"

Yes, the man standing before them was none other than Alex Krycek. The one man – besides CSM – who truly earned his top spot on Mulder's hate/hit list. He killed Mulder's father and was instrumental in Scully's abduction. And as a result of Krycek's latest antics Mulder found himself imprisoned in a Russian gulag in Tunguska where he was subjected to gruesome tests with the black oil. He still woke up in cold sweat and feeling the little oil drops crawl up his nose and into his eyes and take over his entire being. When he against all odds – and thanks to a fellow prisoner – escaped from that place he took Krycek with him. The bastard would answer for everything. But the little rat/weasel hybrid somehow managed to once again slip through Mulder's vengeful fingers. If he survived in the Siberian woods Mulder didn't know, but he was sure of it. He was certain that he hasn't seen the last of Alex Krycek. And right he was.

"Krycek, you son-of-a-bitch! What are you doing here?", Mulder kept his gun pointed steadily at Krycek's pretty-boy face.

Scully, who was fast to recover from being tackled by a "yeti", picked up her gun and took her place at Mulder's side. She was eyeing Krycek suspiciously. She knew about the Tunguska episode but there were details of that "trip" that Mulder didn't want to share, not even with her, making Scully almost certain that the entire ordeal was way too painful for Mulder to cope with. And for that she blamed Krycek.

Meanwhile Krycek was laughing at the confused agents. He was fully aware of the guns pointed at him but it didn't seem to bother him. Finally, when he had no more strength left to laugh, he said, "The look on your faces – it was priceless!"

"For how long have you been following us?", Scully asked him.

"Long enough to know that Mulder got you two lost before eating bad berries."

"How did you know that we were going to be here?", Mulder was suspecting that Krycek hacked into his e-mail account and read the correspondence with his source. There was no other way for him to find out that Mulder was going on a yeti hunt. Unless of course…

"Did you kill my source?"

"Oh, Mulder, don't you see? He _is_ your source."

"No, he's not, Scully. I know my source."

"You don't even know if it's a he or a she. Think about it!"

Mulder thought about it. Damn it, it seemed to fit! He thought back on the leads that he had gotten from his source in the past and realized that the only person who could provide him with such accurate information was Alex Krycek. But why?

The FBI-agent was furious. The sour taste he had on his tongue was a mixture of the stomach juice he had purged up ten minutes ago and anger. Anger at his own naivety and at the man in the monkey suit. He was struggling to keep his head cold and not crush Krycek's jaw with his fist.

"Alright, Ratboy, spill the beans. Why did you lure us into the woods? And keep in mind that my gun is loaded and the poison is making my fingers twitch."

"You can lower your little revolver, Mulder. You too, Scully. I'm not armed and mean no harm to you this time. And I didn't lure you in here. I really have something important to show you."

"Like what, a yeti?". Scully said with a smirk but to her astonishment Mulder looked genuinely interested in what Krycek was saying.

"What do you mean? Have you confirmation of a yeti sighting?"

"Mulder, you don't seriously believe him, do you? This is Krycek we're talking about. Or have you forgotten Tunguska?"

How could he forget? He only wished he could. But he had a strong feeling that this time Krycek was being sincere. What exactly he based this feeling on he didn't know, but Mulder always went with his gut, right?

Upon hearing about Tunguska Krycek wiped that smug smile off of his face and said in a very sad voice, "I am really sorry about what happened in Russia. And I can make it up to you by showing you what is going on in these woods. I can open your eyes on the most strange, scary supernatural phenomena you have ever encountered on the X-files."

Mulder hesitated some more before finally agreeing to see what Krycek had to show. Scully couldn't believe it. She took Mulder by his arm and said as sternly as she could, "Mulder, you may be good at forgiving people who have betrayed you, but I am not. He _will_ deceive us again, that I guarantee you. And if you don't care about your own safety, I know you care about mine."

"But Scully…"

He was interrupted by a horrible noise. It sounded like a fog horn or a siren. A hollow and lonely sound. It was too far away to determine the direction in which it was coming from. This noise seemed to permeate the entire space around the three people. The agents looked questioningly at Krycek, who was very calm, almost as if he expected it to happen.

"That, agents, is what you have come here for."

"It didn't sound like a yeti to me.", said Scully while packing up their gear.

"Not _a _yeti, my dear skeptical Scully, but a signal for all of them to come out."

"Come out where?", Mulder didn't like the sound of that.

A second siren sounded off in the distance. This one lasted a few seconds longer.

"If you guys are interested then we'd better get going before we miss the whole thing."

"Mulder, I don't know how about you, but I am going back to our car and driving home."

"Wait, Scully, I'm not letting you walk through the woods alone."

"Then come with me, please!"

"What's the matter, Fox? Mommy isn't letting you play with bad boys?"

The agents shot him a couple of dirty looks and then Scully came up to him, saying, "Alright, show us!"

No, Mommy wouldn't let her boy play with bad guys alone. Scully knew that Mulder wasn't going to let it be, so she had to be with him all the way to make sure he would get home in one piece.

And so Scully let herself and her partner be led by a criminal and a liar down an unknown and perhaps dangerous path. Funny, but she was sort of hoping that Mulder would say, "No way, Ratboy, I'm not letting you drag me and Scully on some dangerous yeti hunt. I'm not going to risk my best friend's life for this." She even pictured him putting a protective arm around her shoulders as they would make their way back to the car. But perhaps she was a bit too naïve.

* * *

**Sorry it took me so long to update, I have been crazy busy and was on vacation as well **** :) **

**Chapter 4 is almost finished though. We will follow the three campers on a strange quest and find out what happened to poor Steven. And can our heroes trust Krycek? **


	4. Part 1, chapter 4

**A/N Are Fox and Dana going to be betrayed by Alex Krycek? And whatever happened to Steven Louis and his dog? Find out in the new chapter of "Mulder and Scully look for Yeti"! **

**Takes place after Tunguska and Terma but before Leonard Betts. **

**Disclaimer: the X-Files and all the characters belong to Chris Carter.**

**Please review! Also English is not my first language, so if you see a mistake don't hesitate to tell me about it. **

**A big thanks to my brother who pitched the idea to me :) **

* * *

4.

If animals could talk they would tell us about the things only they are able to see and hear. But poor Long John could never warn his master about the danger that awaited him among the pine trees in the pit. By the time they had descended into the pit Long John became overcome with fear and ran off leaving his master alone. What Steven didn't know was that the dog came back and followed him into the pine grove. The dog followed his scent and didn't actually see him because he was very deep in the grove now. And then the dog heard the screams. By the time Long John had reached his master the man was already dead. His body was sprawled on the ground, his face twisted in mortal agony. There was a faint scent of burnt flesh in the air – the dog recognized it immediately – because of the burns on Steven's face. Though the dog could not understand what his master had died from the bare fact of death was clear to him. But the dog didn't stay there long to mourn his master. The sense of impending danger and fear had once again overcome the animal. For the second time that day the dog came running up the slope yelping like a little pup.

**…**

"I can open your eyes on the strangest, scariest supernatural phenomena you have ever encountered on the X-files.", Krycek's eyes bored deep into Mulder's when he was uttering these words. _I have to give it to him_, Mulder thought, _he knows what buttons to push to get to me._ Fox Mulder could never pass on an opportunity like this one, because then he would be defying his own nature.

The FBI- agents and their shady guide left the clearing and were heading in the Southeast direction, going deeper and deeper into the woods. There was no footpath but Krycek seemed to know his way around here. The lighting was meager since the sun was well-hidden behind all the foliage. Once every thirty minutes the peaceful silence was disturbed by the sounds of that horrible siren, making Scully regret she hadn't taken Mulder home while she had the chance.

Mulder too found the siren unsettling. Was it wise of him to follow Krycek and take Scully with him too? Scully had once told Mulder that his faith was so intense it sometimes was blinding. Still, Mulder was confident that this time he was in full control of the situation. He knew Krycek and knowing Krycek meant expecting a blow in the back of your head any minute. He had an ulterior motive behind his every action. So Mulder was wise to never let his guard down.

After about one hour of hiking Mulder called out, "Krycek, stop right there!"

"What's the matter, Mulder? Is it your stomach again?"

"It's not my stomach that is bothering me," although it did hurt like hell, but that was not the point, "It's your left arm."

"What about my arm?", Krycek snapped at him defensively.

"You know what I'm talking about. Now take off that monkey costume and show us your arm!"

Scully of course has noticed in too. The way Krycek never moved his left arm but held it tightly to his side. Even when he tackled her to the ground as part of his "prank" he only used his right hand to push her gun out of his way. You couldn't miss the signs – Krycek's arm had been replaced with a prosthetic.

Krycek was about to object but Mulder gave him a look that could only mean "Don't make me tell you twice, I have a gun" and he obeyed. He took off his yellow fur and was now standing before the agents in a pair of jeans and a black long-sleeved T-shirt. His left hand was covered by a black leather glove. Mulder made him remove that too and that's when he and Scully saw the smooth and lifeless plastic of the prosthetic.

"Are you two satisfied or are you gonna make me take it all off? You want me to dance for you as well?"

"What happened to your arm, Krycek?", Scully ignored his sarcasm. The tone of her voice was softer now and with a hint of concern in it.

"I was in a car accident back in Russia. The doctors did what they could to save my arm but the bones were crushed into little pieces. So they had to amputate it."

"That's a nice cover story and you have memorized it well, Krycek, but how about telling us what really happened? I bet it happened some time after you had jumped out of my truck. Who did this to you?"

"Look, you can either ask your stupid questions or you can let me show you what you've come here for."

And with that he put the glove back on the prosthetic, scrambled the fur costume under his good arm and resumed his stride. This defensive outburst caught Scully by surprise and she asked her partner, "Do you know what happened to him?"

"Remember what I told you about the tests in that Russian gulag and about those people who had their left arms amputated in order to escape the tests?"

"Right, no arm, no test. I remember. But Krycek wasn't a test subject. Why did he have to amputate his arm?"

"I don't think he volunteered, Scully."

And he said nothing more. This was typical of Mulder. He had a habit of not telling Scully everything about the cases they were working on. He would always keep something to himself until the last minute. In that respect their relationship reminded her of the one between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. But unlike Dr. Watson Dr. Scully was not a sidekick. They were partners and equals and sometimes Scully could get frustrated with Mulder's ways.

Another hour passed and finally Krycek stopped, turned around and said, "We're here!"

The agents looked ahead of them and saw that they have come to a huge pit. Mulder immediately thought of a crater. The ground under their feet ended abruptly like it had been cut off by a big knife. The only way into the pit was down a steep slope. They were very high up for the tops of tall pine trees below them looked like steeples of church towers. The sun which was now on the other side heading westward cast warm rays on the darkening grove and gave the skies a vague tint of gold.

"Where exactly are we?", Scully had a bad feeling that Krycek wanted them to climb down there. This is where she drew the line.

"Do you notice anything strange about the pit?"

"Yes, it's a pine grove in the middle of the deciduous woods. I haven't seen anything like that before. It's almost as if it was planted by man. Was it?"

"I don't know, I haven't figured this place out yet. But this is where it all happens."

"What _does_ happen here? You haven't been very good at giving us the details, Krycek.", Mulder said.

"Patience, my dear agents."

The siren sounded off one last time and this _time_ they all heard where the sound was coming from. It was coming from deep within the pine grove and echoed in the walls of the pit. Krycek crouched behind some bushes and motioned for the agents to do the same. He then dug in his monkey costume which apparently had pockets in it and came up with a pair of binoculars. Mulder too searched for binoculars in his back pack, but the problem was he only had one pair. He and Scully would have to share. All three of them focused their attention on the grove below. The tension was almost unbearable.

Minutes passed. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. Nothing happened. The grove was still as were the rest of the woods. The only thing they heard was the birds singing and the little rodents running about between twigs and fallen leafs. Finally Mulder stood up, his face red, his beautiful eyes flashing with fury. He took a deep breath to compose himself and then said,

"Well, thank you for this exciting adventure, Krycek. At least you didn't shoot us in the back. Come on, Scully, let's go home! I'm sorry you had to go through with this. I'm sure I'll make it up to you somehow."

Scully didn't object. Finally they could go home. She and Mulder turned their back on Krycek and started heading back. Krycek stared at them with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Wait!", he said, "I wasn't bluffing. This wasn't a prank or another scheme. I don't know what went wrong today but I have seen it with my own eyes."

"_What_ have you seen there?", Scully asked half-turning around.

"Every day these creatures come out of the grove, climb out of the pit and then disappear in the woods. I have seen them. I have even tried to follow some of them, but as soon as they are out of the pit it's like they become invisible."

"Do you have any proof`? Like photos or any physical evidence?"

"No, but I have this.", and with that he reached for his back pocket and retrieved a piece of paper folded in half. He gave it to Mulder who read out loud,

"_Alex, I can no longer wait for you and your friends. I am going down there alone and if you don't see me again forget this place even exists. Thank you for all your help. /Steven" _

Mulder looked at Krycek and said, "Care to elaborate?"

"Two weeks ago I was contacted by an old college buddy of mine, Steven Louis. He has a hunting cabin in this area and likes to come here every weekend. Some time ago he started seeing these creatures. It scared him, especially since some of them would come pretty near to his cabin. So he called me and I promised I'd help him."

"What about these "friends" he writes about?"

"I told him about you and Mulder and what you do on the X-files. I sort of said that you could help him to sort this thing out. This morning we were supposed to meet in his cabin and pick you two up later. But when I got there it was locked up and empty. I knew immediately where he was going and headed to this place. He was already gone but I found this note pinned to a tree. He's gone down there and I'm pretty sure something bad has happened to him."

Scully and Mulder shared a look.

"What do you say, Scully? Are we buying this story?"

"I don't know. If what you are saying is true, Krycek, then we may be dealing with a missing person case. Why haven't you told us this in the beginning?"

"I wasn't sure that he was missing until just now. These creatures should have come out today but they didn't. It can only mean that they knew we were coming. And if so they have already gotten to Steven. I need your help. We must find him."

"Well, Scully and I are not climbing down there if that's what you want. As soon as we get back to DC we can send out a search team. But if you're bluffing…"

"I swear I'm not bluffing!"

"Alright then, let's head back."

"Wait a minute, Mulder. It's going to get dark soon and we're never gonna make it to the car before sunset. I'm afraid we'll have to spend the night here."

She was right. The last thing Mulder wanted was a sleepover with Alex Krycek in a scary forest with sirens and invisible snowmen. But they didn't have a choice.

"OK, Krycek, how far away is your friend's cabin?"

"A little too far, but I've set up a camp only a mile away from here."

Scully said, "Good, because Mulder's sick and he can't be up for much longer."

"I'm fine Scully.", said Mulder and heard his stomach rumble loudly. He looked at Krycek and said, "Lead the way, you little weasel."

**…**

The three people were walking away from the pit, taking heavy weary steps. Angelica was watching them for as long as they were visible. When they have disappeared behind the vegetation she stepped out form her hiding place, crouched and took a handful of dirt in her hand. She smelled it, getting accustomed to each of their individual scents. This way she would have no trouble finding their camp in the protection of the night. To Angelica's great annoyance she also smelled that damn dog's smell in the dirt. The dog was somewhere near and he could cause trouble because he – like all animals – could recognize her species even when they were in disguise. She couldn't let that dog get to the camp.

* * *

**Camping with Krycek? I wonder how that's going to go down. Is Angelica going to kill Long John? And what does Krycek dream about when he's sleeping? Our heroes don't know what to expect in the next installment of "Mulder and Scully look for a Yeti". **


	5. Part 1, chapter 5

**A/N The agents and Krycek are forced to tolerate each other as they are staying in the same camp. How will the night go? Is it really safe to stay out in the woods when darkness has fallen? And what on Earth happened to Long John?**

**Warning for some violence.**

**Takes place after Tunguska and Terma but before Leonard Betts. References to The Blessing Way and War of the Coprophages. **

**Disclaimer: the X-Files and all the characters belong to Chris Carter. **

**Please review! Also English is not my first language, so if you see a mistake don't hesitate to tell me about it. **

**A big thanks to my brother who pitched the idea to me :) **

* * *

5.

The stars were coming out to play on the black velvet of the night sky. Outside the camp strange shadows were lurking about and the woods were alive with the sounds of the night. But in the warm light of the campfire one could find refuge and solitude. Scully was sitting by the fire wrapped in a thick blanket and was sipping hot chocolate. She was far from feeling safe and at peace but strangely it didn't scare her to be out here tonight.

…

When Scully, Mulder and Krycek arrived at the camp the sun was already setting. They found the camp in a small clearing concealed from any stranger's eyes by a thick ring of trees. There was one tent, four folding chairs standing around a small table and two big sports bags were Krycek kept his stuff.

"You two can set up your tent while I prepare the supper", Krycek said, while he was starting the fire and getting pots from one of his bags, "Now, I only have bottled water and some hot chocolate. Steven was supposed to bring brandy but - you know", he mumbled something about how drinking wouldn't be the same without Steven and then focused his attention on the supper.

When the second tent was up Mulder decided to do some snooping and go through Krycek's bags. What he found made him say a bad word out loud. He then said, "Krycek, I thought you said you weren't armed!"

"I'm not."

"Then explain this Winchester, please!", and he held out the long rifle and a box of ammunition.

"I need it for self protection. You've heard the sirens. The woods may be crawling with those monsters."

"Monster none of us has yet seen. I'm keeping this rifle with me. Come on, Scully let's search through the camp for more surprises."

Krycek didn't object but looked nervous when the agents were ransacking through his bags and the inside of his tent. They didn't find any more surprises however. The tension between the agents and Krycek relieved a bit during supper. They were sitting on the folding chairs around the table and eating a wild turkey that Krycek claimed to have shot himself and some roasted potatoes. Scully and Mulder were surprised to discover that Krycek wasn't a half bad cook. Krycek kept throwing glances at the empty chair. That's where Steven Louis was supposed to be sitting and it was evident that the sight of the empty chair made Krycek uncomfortable. Who knew that Ratboy could have friends and people whose safety he cared about?

Suddenly Scully was struck with a terrifying realization, "Mulder, if you're spending the night here, who's gonna feed your fish?"

"Oh, crap! I forgot to tell Frohike to come by and feed them."

"Actually, Mulder, I have a confession to make", Krycek said, "I had an associate of mine to feed your fish today."

"You let some hired goon break into my apartment?!"

"He didn't break in. I gave him my key."

"You have a key to my place? I can't believe this. Did you hear this, Scully? Privacy is no longer a right but a privilege reserved for the VIP:s."

"Oh, wake up, Mulder! There is no privacy. People like us cannot afford it."

"Only because of people like you and Cancer Man", Scully said testily, "By the way, do you have a key to my place too?"

"Yes, I have keys to your place and to Skinner's place. What can I do? It's part of my job. Or did I say too much?"

At twilight it was time to decide about the sleeping arrangements. Krycek took the responsibility,

"We have two tents and there're three of us. Two will have to share a tent. Scully, I think it's only fair that we give Mulder a little privacy since he's sick"

"Nice try, Krycek, but Scully gets her own tent. You and I are sharing."

"Sounds good, Mulder," Scully said, totally ignoring Krycek, "We also have to agree who will stay up and guard the camp. I can take the first shift, Mulder, you can take the next."

"What about me? Don't you trust me to guard the camp while you're sleeping?"

"No, we don't", the agents said in unison.

Sharing a tent with Krycek was not how Mulder had pictured this night. It was going to be just him and Scully under the naked sky. After almost four years of working closely together, sharing their joy and grief they were perhaps ready for a new step in their relationship. And now enter the Ratboy! What a letdown…

The guys were settling in each of their sleeping bags and Scully snuck her head in to wish Mulder a good night.

"I'll wake you up in three hours, Mulder. Oh, and I hope I can trust you wild boys to behave in here."

"Ha-ha, very funny, Scully", Mulder grinned sarcastically but when Scully was gone he gave Krycek a mischievous look and said, "You know, Alex, my sleeping bag _is_ big enough for two people-"

"Shut up, Mulder!"

"Whatever", Mulder turned on his side, away from Krycek and as soon as his head was down he slept.

Krycek lay on his back staring at the top of the tent and listening closely to the sounds of the night. He was dog tired but he was afraid to fall asleep. Every night he only had one dream – he was being attacked by a group of men. They would wrestle him to the ground and hold him down while their leader approached him with a big knife. Details could change but every dream ended the same way – Krycek would loose his left arm. You think by this time the nightmares would be over, but they weren't. To hell with it! Krycek crawled out of his sleeping bag and left the tent. He decided to join Scully on her watch.

But when he got out he saw no Scully by the fire. Her chair was empty; her bag was lying on the ground along with her gun. This wasn't right.

"Scully!", he called quietly so he wouldn't wake up Mulder. No answer. He called again, a little louder this time. No Scully.

Krycek was really worried by now. If something should happen to Dana Scully Mulder would tear his spine out and choke him with it. I have to find her before Mulder wakes up, the said to himself desperately. He opened his bag and took a big flashlight. He turned it on and started scanning the immediate surroundings, searching for Scully. Trouble was he didn't know where to look. There! He thought he caught a glimpse of a tiny figure in a jacket about ten feet away. He pointed his flashlight in that direction again and saw Scully standing motionlessly among the trees. She had her back to Krycek and he couldn't see her face. What was she doing there?

"Scully?", he called out but she didn't react.

He ran towards her, concerned that maybe there was something wrong with her. He nudged her shoulder and she turned around to face him. She looked fine. Krycek sighed, relieved that he wouldn't get murdered my Mulder.

"You scared me, Scully. I thought I've lost you"

She didn't say anything to him and he could now see that she wasn't fine at all. By the look of her puffy and red eyes he could tell that she has been crying. Oh great! One thing Krycek could never handle was a crying woman.

"Scully, are you alright?"

"You killed my sister", her words struck him like lighting.

"What are you talking about? I haven't-"

"You killed my sister. You killed Melissa", she kept repeating these words.

Her voice was cold and emotionless and her eyes were like glass, so that Krycek immediately thought that maybe she was in deep shock. But what could have scared her so in the short time that she's been here by herself? Krycek reached out to tough her forehead to check her temperature, but she grabbed his hand and gave it a hard squeeze. Her fingernails dug deep into his flesh ripping the skin. He cried in pain and shock and tore his hand out of her grip.

"What the hell are you doing?".

Looking at Scully he saw the same impassive look, the same apathy. She was approaching him, taking slow but decisive steps. Fear filled his veins turning his blood into ice. He was backing away from her now, stepping back into the camp. Suddenly he hit something soft but steadfast. Was it Mulder? But turning around Krycek saw two men standing side by side. They were tall – taller than him even. He tried to look at their faces but didn't see any. It's like these men were completely faceless. Run! He heard an inner voice say and made a move to the woods. To pairs of iron hands got hold of him and pushed him to the ground. They tore his long-sleeved T-shirt off and were holding him by his arms. His arms! Krycek only now realized that the left arm was his own and not the prosthetic. What the hell was going on?

"Mulder!", he yelled, "Mulder, help me!", but his companion either didn't hear him or didn't care.

The faceless men were holding his arms firmly and he could only watch as more and more of them came out of the woods. Another pair was holding his legs. The other – ten? fifteen? – were standing outside the immediate light of the campfire and looked like big menacing shadows.

"Scully, what's going on? Who are these men?"

"You betrayed us. Traitor! _Predatel_!

Predatel? That was Russian for "traitor". How could he know that? She kept repeating it and the faceless men were accompanying her. They had no mouths and yet he could hear their voices, like a quire from hell.

"Predatel! Predatel!", they were chanting the word, their voices echoing in the dead woods. Meanwhile Scully came close to the fire, reached into the flames with her bare hand and took out a huge hunting knife. It was glowing red with heat. Not again, Krycek said hopelessly to himself, realizing what was going on.

"Scully, please don't! Please! _Pozhalusta_! Njet…"

His cries turned into quiet whimpering as Scully drew nearer and nearer. She kneeled in front of him and as he looked at her face he cried out in sheer terror. Her face! It was different. It was not the face of Dana Scully, but of Melissa – her sister. The sister who was killed by his associate over a year ago. And now she was looking at him with the most unemotional eyes he had ever seen. She studied his face closely, that spirit of the past, and raised the hunting knife above her head, ready to seal Krycek's fate. For that was his fate, he knew it now. Like some modern day Prometheus he was going to lose his arm over and over again as punishment for his sins. He screamed in defiance, because he didn't deserve it. He wasn't a bad man. He then felt the hot blade on his skin and woke up.

For a long moment he didn't know he was awake. It was too quiet, too dark. He touched his left arm, and felt the plastic with his cold fingers. That's when he realized that it was indeed a dream. Sweat was rolling down his entire body. Large cold beads that made him feel disgusting from inside and out. Beside him Mulder was having dreams of his own.

"Oh, Bambi… yeah, baby…no, Scully, I wasn't!.. I swear... you smell bad, Scully!"

Krycek decided to leave. Partially because he was disgusted by Mulder having dreams about Disney characters but also because he wanted to make sure that _this_ was not a dream.

When he got out pulling his jacket on he saw Scully sitting by the fire. The Winchester was lying by her feet. She was wrapped in a blanket and held a tin cup in her hands. Her eyes were fixed at the skies and she had a dreamy look on her face. Somehow it made her look more accessible, more feminine. Krycek thought about how he never saw this side of Scully before. This was truly a lucky moment, catching the ice queen off guard. Krycek stayed in the shadows unnoticed by Scully and watched her for a while. Why was he watching her? It wasn't because he was a perverted freak or because he wanted her to feel embarrassed once she would discover that she was being watched. Why then? Could it be that he never really got to know her like he knew Mulder? In the unfortunate years that he'd gotten close to the dynamic duo it was Mulder that he had to deal with, not her. She always stayed in the background, while Mulder was beating the crap out of him.

Scully put the tin cup on the ground and wrapped the blanket tighter around her. He saw that her fingers were playing with something that hung from her neck and realized that this was her cross. He has seen her wear it before, but he never really thought of Scully having a spiritual side. Believing was Mulder's job. She was the logical one. She was Holmes.

Pretty soon she did notice him.

"Mulder's mumbling keeping you up, Krycek?", she said as he came to sit on a chair next to her.

"You could say so."

She looked at him with curiosity and said, "Did they use anesthesia?"

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"The people who took your arm. Did they use anesthesia? Or at least give you enough alcohol so you would pass out?"

"What do you care?", Krycek didn't mean to snap at her like that, but frankly her questions caught him off guard. He continued with a softer tone now, "They didn't exactly ask for my permission."

Scully didn't respond to that but he saw something in her eyes. It was pity. Sympathy even. He didn't like it. But how could she know what had happened to him in Russia? Did Mulder tell her? Mulder didn't even know the real truth. He was about to ask her when they heard that someone – or something – was running towards the camp. Immediately Krycek reached for the rifle that was lying on the ground but Scully was the first to grab it. She pointed it in the direction from which the running sounds were coming.

"A friend of yours, Krycek?"

"No, I wasn't expecting anyone."

Krycek didn't have anything to protect himself with a felt helpless. He picked up a large stick from the ground and held it like a club. The rustling of the leaves was louder now and suddenly they both saw the creature. It was a dog. A big golden retriever. It sprang out from the trees, obviously scared half to death by something. As soon as the dog entered the camp it started barking at something. Something that was still in the trees.

"Long John!", Krycek recognized Steven's retriever almost immediately.

"You know this dog?", Scully lowered the rifle but was still holding it firmly.

"Long John is Steve's dog. How long has he been out here?"

Krycek tried to call the dog. Long John knew Krycek and liked him even. But right now he didn't seem to notice the man. He was just barking at something that only he could see.

"What's wrong with him?", Scully asked.

"I don't know."

The barking has woken up Mulder, who came out of the tent with his gun drawn.

"What's going on?"

"This is Steven's dog", Krycek said, "He must have wandered in the woods since last morning."

"What is he barking at?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

Suddenly Long John stopped barking. His body – which was very tense – relaxed. Very carefully the three people approached the dog. He recognized Krycek and was obviously happy to see him. Krycek ran his hand through the dog's fur – it was full of thorns and leaves, and his paws were dirty. It was obvious that the dog has not been taken care of for a long time. But where was his master?

"I still don't understand what he was barking at", Krycek said.

"Whatever it was, it's gone now", Mulder said, putting his gun back in the holster.

"He must be very hungry. And I don't have any dog food in the camp"

"Say no more!", Mulder cried happily and grabbed his backpack. He opened it and came up with two cans of dog food, "I brought it here as bait for the yeti"

Mulder served Long John his food on one of the plates – they didn't have bowls – and they all watched the dog devour it in just two minutes. After that he relaxed even more and in about fifteen minutes he was fast asleep under the table.

"How do you think he got here?", said Mulder looking at Krycek.

"I don't know. Steven must have taken Long John with him when he went to the pine grove. The question is where he is now"

"And what was the dog running away from?"

"We're not gonna get any wiser tonight. Tomorrow morning we'll call the FBI and start the search", Scully said, "Finding this dog in the woods speaks strongly in you favor, Krycek. If your friend is alright and safe he wouldn't let his dog wander off like that"

Mulder yawned and said, "I'm pretty well rested. I'll guard the camp for the rest of the night. You two can go your tents"

"I'll stay with you, Mulder"

"No, Scully, you haven't slept at all. Don't worry about me"

Eventually Scully and Krycek returned to their tents. No matter how scared Krycek was of his nightmares, his weariness overpowered him. Mulder was left alone by the fire, holding the Winchester in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other. For a long time he was watching the strange dog, trying to guess what it was that he saw in the dark woods. And if Steven Louis' dog was with them, where was Steven Louis? There were forces in these woods. Strange and menacing forces. Was it really wise to challenge these forces by staying here? But now the situation was different. A man was missing and it was their job to find him.

* * *

**Looks like the poor dog managed to get away from Angelica and find refuge in the camp. But the evil creature is still out there. How will our heroes handle the dangers that are lurking in the woods? Find out in the next chapter of Mulder and Scully look for a Yeti!**


	6. Part 1, chapter 6

**A/N Here it is - chapter 6! I haven't updated in a while because I'm working on several stories at the same time. A special thanks to Adelled, Tiggerlove99, gilly09, Trudes193 and to all of you guests who are following my story. **

**Takes place after Tunguska and Terma but before Leonard Betts. References to of the Coprophages. **

**Disclaimer: the X-Files and all the characters belong to Chris Carter. **

**Please review! Also English is not my first language, so if you see a mistake don't hesitate to tell me about it. **

**A big thanks to my brother who pitched the idea to me :) **

* * *

6.

In the greyish light of the predawn hours the two FBI-agents were sitting by the dying fire and talking in hushed voices. When Scully ended her shift she went to her tent and tried to go to sleep but after all the excitement with the dog and all she just couldn't make her mind to relax. So she had spent the rest of the night by her partner's side.

"Why do you think he brought us here, Mulder?"

"To help him find these creatures, I guess"

"But why? If these things really do exist what difference does it makes for him if we find them or not?"

"He said he promised his friend. We can't back out now, Scully, if that's what you're saying. This dog is not stray, he belongs to someone. And if this man is missing-"

"We have to find him. I know that Mulder. But it's not what I meant. You still believe him, don't you? After all he's done to you - to me - you still trust him!"

"I'm not stupid, Scully!", he sounded hurt, "But I can't deny the facts. The things we have seen and heard... I can't just ignore them"

"What have we heard, really? Those sirens? There can be a dozen different explanations for them. And as for the monsters, well... have _you_ seen one? "

Scully glanced at the tent where Krycek was sleeping and whispered, "Mulder, how do we know that Krycek isn't responsible for his friend's disappearance?"

Mulder tightened his lips and looked thoughtfully in front of him.

"We don't," he answered after a long pause, "As far as I'm concerned he could have killed this Louis guy and then forged the letter to make us believe his story"

"That's very plausible. The question is why would he do that? What are his motives?"

"And what about that dog?", Mulder pointed to Long John who was snoring peacefully under the folding table, "He was scared of something and running for his life. And you saw how happy he was to see Krycek. You can fool a human being but you can't fool an animal"

"Whatever it is we're dealing with, we're not authorized to pursue the search for Steven Louis on our own. We have to let the right people handle it"

"But what about Krycek? He won't follow us to Skinner's office. If we get him to DC. we will have to put him under arrest. He's a wanted criminal"

"Isn't that what you want?"

The birds were greeting the sun that was casting its first rays on the cold world. With morning light came clearness of thought. Mulder knew now what he had to do.

...

Scully was busy putting out the fire and Mulder was packing their gear when Krycek finally crawled out of his tent. His eyes were puffy and he had a sour look on his face. It was obvious that he wasn't a morning person. Upon seeing him Mulder exclaimed over enthusiastically, "Well, look who's up! How'd you sleep, princess?"

Krycek shot Mulder a dark look and grunted, "Better by myself than with you in there. I didn't have to listen to your disgusting mumbling about Bambi or whatever cartoon animal it is you're fantasizing about"

"What's that?", Scully raised a questioning eyebrow.

Mulder flushed looking redder than a ripe tomato. Seeing his reaction Krycek decided to rub some salt in the wound of embarrassment, "Oh, our agent Mulder talks in his sleep. I overheard him mumble about this Bambi and then about- Ouch!", he flinched as Mulder pulled him by his ear.

"Had enough, you little weasel? Now, let's focus!", he let go of Krycek's ear who was now rubbing it with a hurt expression, "Pack your stuff, we're going back to our car. I'll call Skinner as soon as we have coverage and ask him to run a background check on this Steven Louis. Then if he really exists we'll leave the matter to the Bureau.

"What about the dog?", in the instant that Scully had uttered these words Long John was up on his feet... paws as if he's been listening to their conversation all along (and getting it, smart dog!).

"I guess the animal control will have to take over. At least until we've found his owner"

"No, I'll take him!", Krycek said squatting beside Long John and patting his big furry head, "He knows me and those tiny shelters are no good for him anyway"

"Sure, if it works for you. Alright, let's get going!", Mulder clapped his hands excited about finally being able to leave this place. Weird how only yesterday he would do anything to find a yeti and now all he wanted was to get back home to his fish and the "library" under his bed.

Krycek put down his tent and packed his bags. He then folded the chairs and the table and hid them among the bushes.

"Aren't you taking that with you?" Scully said

"No, these are Steven's. I took them from his cabin, but I'm not going there now, it's too far away. I'll come back here eventually"

Krycek made an attempt to fit the Winchester in one of his bags But Mulder grabbed it and said, "I'll hold on to that until we get back to civilization". Krycek didn't object. He then put one bag over his shoulder and grabbed the other one in his good hand. And once the heroes were ready they started their long walk back.

The morning walk through the woods was mostly refreshing. Their leg and buttocks muscles felt numb from all the sitting and lying down so they were happy to be moving again. Today was considerably chillier than yesterday and Scully was beating herself up for not bringing a pair of gloves with her. The three of them were walking in a straight line, almost like a procession. Krycek was leading the way followed by Scully who was followed by Mulder. Twice Scully fought the urge to turn around and ask Mulder about the Bambi dream. Krycek couldn't know that Mulder was dreaming of a different Bambi. Scully did not forget the doe eyed entomologist with firm hips who Mulder met once during a "killer cockroach"- case. The story came to an exploding end and Scully spent a good part of her pay check to have her coat and pantsuit dry-cleaned. She was extremely annoyed with her partner but got over it eventually. And she wasn't angry with him for having these dreams. After all you cannot control what you dream about, and she was glad that for once Mulder wasn't dreaming about his time in the Gulag.

Long John was walking with Krycek occasionally leaving his side to smell something and run after squirrels. Krycek was watching the dog closely in a fruitless attempt to figure out his behaviour. Last night he was scared to death, but now he was his usual curious carefree pup again. Surely he could sense if one of those creatures were getting close. That animals have extra senses is not a secret. What did Long John see that made him run and yelp like that?

Three times Krycek saw the creatures come out of the pine grove, climb up the slope with exceptional agility and then vanish in a blink of an eye. Krycek has seen all kinds of crap in his work, but this was too incredible, even for him. When Steven first told him about this phenomenon Krycek didn't believe him. And when he saw it with own eyes he didn't trust what he had seen. Acceptance came with time. And with acceptance came suspicion. The question wasn't so much about who these creatures were, but rather what they were doing here. They were not of this world. Were they space aliens or did they come from realms even the Consortium had no clue about? He couldn't know. But just the fact that they were roaming the woods, close to several populated areas was alarming in itself. Bad news for people. Bad news for Krycek. His friend Steven didn't seem to share Krycek's concern regarding the creatures' interest in our world. He wanted to get closer to them but his reasons were selfish and corrupt (the two words that described Steven perfectly). He wanted this to be his Loch Ness monster. "Don't you see it, Alex?", he had once said in his cabin, "If we pull this off, I'm gonna be rich!" "You mean, _we_ are gonna be rich, right?", Krycek smiled weakly. His friend's greed didn't surprise him at all. But who was Krycek to judge, right? For once though Krycek didn't care about making profit. He had stumbled upon something very strange and most likely very dangerous. He had to dig deeper.

Sunken deep into his own world Krycek didn't pay much attention to what was going on around him - which in retrospect was a huge mistake - and seemed to have forgotten about his companions. That is why when Scully called his name he didn't respond.

"Krycek!", she called again and this time he did hear it. He also heard that the tone of her velvet voice was alarmed.

"What's the matter, Scully?", he half turned only to see that she was now at his heels.

"Krycek, where is Mulder?"

"I don't know, he was walking right behind you. Didn't you see him?"

Krycek looked around seeing nothing but trees and bushes. He yelled, "Mulder!", but didn't get an answer. He looked at Scully and said, "Would he wonder off like that?"

"No. I don't think so"

"Don't worry, we'll find him", he sounded very confident but his senses told him otherwise. With all the spooky stuff going on here it's very plausible that Mulder got himself into trouble.

After having combed through the woods in the radius of about three hundred and thirty feet and having found no traces of Mulder, Scully and Krycek came to a disheartening conclusion: something bad happened to Mulder. He was missing.

"The pine grove", Krycek was talking more to himself than to Scully, "He must be in the pine grove"

"We're not going there by ourselves", Scully picked up her pace and started walking back to where they were yesterday. They were now not too long from the clearing where Krycek had played his little prank.

"Why not? Mulder is out there somewhere-"

"Exactly. And what good do you think the two of us will do? We only have one gun and no clue where to look."

"So what do you propose we do?"

"We will do as we planned. I'll call Skinner and he will send out a search team out here. I will not rest until the Bureau will comb through this damn forest until we have found Mulder. You can come if you want to. I'll do it with or without you, Krycek"

For a moment the two of them were locked in a stare down. Krycek was glaring at Scully whose sharp blue eyes were boring into his with tremendous intensity. Finally the stalemate was broken by Krycek. He let out a small confused laugh and said, "Fine, we'll do it your way, agent Scully"

And so they continued their long walk back. Scully was trying hard to keep her feelings to herself. The icy and stoical outer shell was only hiding the roaring fire of anguish and deep concern for her partner. _I knew_ _I should have taken him home_, she said to herself,_ Why did I ever let Krycek lead us on like that? _Naturally she blamed Krycek for Mulder's disappearance. He was the one who brought them here on false pretences and came up with a perfect ghost story to catch Mulder's attention. Whether or not he was lying about his friend she could not tell - time would show it. But it was nonetheless his fault and he _was_ going to pay.

...

In about an hour and a half they were out of the woods. Mulder's car was parked on the roadside. The big country road was empty. It looked abandoned. Scully rushed over to the car and reached in her pant pocket.

"Oh, no..."

"What is it?"

"Mulder's got the keys. Can you pick the lock? Oh, who am I asking, of course you can!"

Krycek mumbled something under his breath and opened one of his sports bags. Meanwhile Long John was sitting by his new friend's side and waiting patiently. Krycek reached in and came up with a small tool kit. Operating like an old pro he picked the lock and opened the car door. Then Scully opened the trunk, put her bag in there and motioned for Krycek to do the same. While Krycek was loading his bags in the trunk Scully, who was standing right behind him, took her cell phone out and turned it on.

"We've got coverage", she sighed with relief.

She was about to dial Skinner's number when it happened. Krycek who seemed busy rearranging his bags in the trunk, made a quick move towards Scully. Within I millisecond that it took her to react he was already snatching her gun out of her holster. Scully tried to get it back but it was too late. Krycek was now standing before Scully pointing her own weapon at her face. He was grinning at her. She felt her blood pressure rising, with rage and anxiety at the same time.

"Did you really think I would follow you to DC, Scully?"

"Mulder... you did this, didn't you?"

"No, I had nothing to do with Mulder's disappearence. That boy got himself into trouble. But that suits me just fine anyway. It would have been a lot more difficult to try and get away from the two of you."

"What are you going to do?", Scully was running through different scenarios in her head and none of them played out well for her, "Are you gonna take me hostage?"

"No, I meant you no harm this time. That you have to believe, Scully. I just want to get away. Take your bag out of the trunk. Do it!"

Scully did as he said without breaking eye contact with him.

"Good. Now, your phone works out here. You'll do as you planned. The FBI will be here in just a couple of hours. You'll be fine. And I will be long gone. Long John, come!" he put the gun away and motioned for the dog to get into Mulder's car. He then took a seat himself, closed the door and rolled down the window.

"Any last words, Dana?"

"We'll get you, Krycek", she whispered feeling like a complete idiot, "You can't hide from us forever"

"Whatever. Best of luck finding Mulder. I really hope, you'll find him!", he said with the most sincere look in his eyes and drove off leaving Scully alone in the middle of the large empty road.

End of Part 1

* * *

**And so we've come to the end of Part 1 in our story. When I first started writing it I didn't realize it was going to be this long, so now I've decided to break it in two parts. Join me in Part 2, when we will dive headfirst into the desperate search for Fox Mulder. How much in trouble is he really? Will Scully be ok? And is Krycek finally gonna get what he deserves? Oh, the tension... **


End file.
